May Peace and Joy Last Year After Year

- My current serial, Reborn as a Bitter Couple, features a calculating lunatic vs. a righteous-yet-rogue charmer | A love steeped in hate, sworn enemies and bitter spouses.

After Qin Zhen’s parents passed away, her mother’s sworn younger sister took her in and raised her. She remained under her aunt’s care for five years.

During those five years, Qin Zhen never coveted anything. There was only one thing she shouldn’t have done: she fell in love with Shen Yubai.

Shen Yubai was the heir to the Duke’s estate. From the moment he entered officialdom, his career took off like a soaring dragon, advancing without a hitch until he held a high position at a young age.

Then one day, a scandal shook the household. Rumors spread that she had resorted to despicable methods to remain at the Duke’s estate.

Qin Zhen knelt before her aunt and begged her to send her away, but the only answer she received was a marriage contract.

Qin Zhen entered the Duke’s estate and became Shen Yubai’s wife.

For the next three years, she behaved herself and never crossed the line. She kept her feelings locked away, never showing a trace of them, even when her husband treated her coldly and others pointed fingers at her.

She thought she would spend the rest of her life that way. But when the peach blossoms were in bloom, she chanced upon Shen Yubai and the princess entangled together in the woods at a peach blossom banquet, and finally realized she had been occupying someone else’s place all along.

Shen Yubai’s cold, unfeeling words, “I dislike her very much,” humiliated her in front of everyone.

If not for her, those two would have long since been a devoted couple, perfectly in harmony.

After returning home, Qin Zhen took care of everything, left a divorce agreement on her dressing table, and slipped out of the estate under cover of darkness.

-

After Qin Zhen left, Shen Yubai searched for her everywhere for three years, but never caught so much as a glimpse of her.

On the day he received an order to return to the capital while away searching for his wife, he saw Qin Zhen before he had even entered the city, smiling brightly as she gazed at a man with shining eyes.

Only then did Shen Yubai realize that everyone had kept Qin Zhen’s whereabouts from him, including his mother.

The moment their eyes met, Qin Zhen stared blankly for a brief instant, then smiled at him as if she had completely put the past behind her.

Shen Yubai tore up the divorce agreement he had kept close to his heart and tried to pull her into his arms, heedless of the people around them.

In full view of everyone, Qin Zhen slapped him.

* He pursues his wife after losing her. One-on-one romance.

* An imaginary historical setting with plenty of creative liberties. The characters aren’t perfect. Civil discussion is welcome, but please don’t be rude.

* See the author’s note in Chapter 1 for a detailed reading guide.

* This novel is entered in the Growth and Comeback writing contest, and closely follows the theme of rising again after falling into despair. Reason for entering:

After her divorce, Qin Zhen finds herself lost, at a low point in both her love life and career. Through self-reflection and unceasing effort, she goes from cautious and timid to shining brightly, making a successful comeback and realizing her own worth.

Theme: Let go when your love goes unreturned